Citizenship grades are important in many ways. They are important because they give us a reason to behave as we should on school grounds. John Muir School expects to "create a community of empowered learners who are productive global learners." Having citizenship grades helps create this community by showing students how they are performing on school grounds. School discipline is "the system of rules, punishments and behavioral strategies appropriate to the regulation of children and the maintenance of order in schools. Its aim is to create a safe and conducive learning environment in the classroom," according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_discipline. With discipline in action at John Muir, students know what to do on campus by being punished when we behave incorrectly. Students can be reprimanded by having detention, receiving referrals, being suspended, and being expelled. "Detention is one of the most common punishments in schools in the United States, Britain, Ireland, Singapore, Canada, Australia and other countries," according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_punishment#Detention. Detention, and other forms of school discipline, set limits that protect students from causing an unsafe environment. Detention is just one of the ways to help students receive better citizenship grades. Teachers can do plenty to keep students on track to receiving good citizenship grades. According to http://712educators.about.com/od/discipline/tp/confrontational_students.htm, teachers can do the following when a student needs to be reprimanded. Teachers should talk privately to the student, call the office if help is necessary, use referrals, and contact the student's parents. Teachers should not loose their temper, raise their voice, get other students involved, or goad the student. If teachers follow these guidelines, they will help lead students to getting good citizenship grades. Citizenship grades help create well-rounded individuals, who can contribute to making the world a better place. According to our school's website, http://sandi.net/muir/site/default.asp, John Muir School wishes that students become: "1. informed and effective communicators, 2. complex critical thinkers and problem solvers, 3. collaborative workers who contribute to, interact with and lead in the worldwide community, 4. well-rounded individuals who recognize and address local, national, and international responsibilities." Citizenship grades show students how we are behaving on school grounds, which lets us know how we can improve ourselves in order to become well-rounded individuals.